Food and Drinq

Laura Vernola pulled the plug on Deuce -- her gastropub in Northern Liberties' Liberties Walk development -- on Sunday (4/6/08) after nearly 2½ years.

Neighbors were quick to assign blame to developer/landlord Bart Blatstein, saying he orchestrated the closing, but Vernola honorably held up her hand at the screeds.

In a posting on NorthernLiberties.org over the weekend, Vernola wrote:

Yes it is true the Deuce is closing it's doors this Sunday. It's best not to make assumptions about why we have closed. There are too many factors that played into Deuce closing so please, please don't make this into a "I Hate Bart Blatstein" thing

I am grateful for all the support Deuce has gotten over the years but PLEASE DO NOT boycott Liberties Walk, The walk is all first time business owners who all require neighborhood support!

Thanks again for all the support and negative and positive feed back over the years :)

Blatstein and Vernola would not address talk around the restaurant industry -- from vendors and people close to Deuce -- that the restaurant had financial issues.

Meanwhile, chef Todd Lean, who joined Deuce six months ago after closing his Old City restaurant Mandoline, is not sure what he will do. He said it may be time to hang up his knives for awhile. Lean was the restaurant's fourth chef, after Scott Schroeder, Matt Ball and Greg Ling.

And also meanwhile, Owen Kamihira, who owns the busy Bar Ferdinand a few steps away, is not happy at the prospect of Deuce's darkness as the warm-weather high season approaches. Kamihira is about to expand his outdoor-seating area west along his storefront.

Though rumor has it that Kamihira will be brought in to operate Deuce, he told Food & Drinq that he had not been approached.

Whoever opens at the Deuce spot will have to wait. Vernola's corporation controls the liquor license. A transfer to a new operator -- should it become necessary -- could take months of posting and hearings.

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